More than 100 people from throughout Windsor-Essex gathered for Premier Kathleen Wynne's open-house at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts Thursday night.
Wynne fielded questions ranging from municipal amalgamation, to cannabis tax, and the new location of the pending Mega-Hospital — the location of which she told the crowd is still up in the air.
.@StClairCollege Centre for the Arts filling up fast for @Kathleen_Wynne’s open house. #cklw pic.twitter.com/WvDNrcqpjl
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) February 15, 2018
Sherri Taylor is a mother of five, three of her children have special needs. Taylor tells AM800 News, she was on hand to ask for more funding for therapies under the Ontario Autism Program.
"My one son was diagnosed with autism and under the OAP I should have access to therapy," she says. "Unfortunately there's only the one therapy that has been determined by the government to be necessary, so parents don't have the options that they need."
She says many therapies require several accompanying diagnosis to qualify.
"Not all of our kids fit in a box, I paid out of pocket and over the last two years I've paid $30,000 for therapy for just one son, that doesn't count my other son that's also there as well, who's just started," says Taylor.
Taylor says her sons suffer from a sensory processing disorder that may not be accompanied by autism, and that needs to be recognized under the OAP.
"The government needs to understand that more and more kids are suffering from sensory processing disorder and it's affecting their everyday life, their success in school and it will affect their future," she says. "We need to have the government also fund that disability as well."
Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain addressed issues with the Hwy. 3 by-pass, saying it's a dangerous situation. Wynne promised Bain a meeting with the Minister of Transportation.